LA WATCHDOG - The LA Watchdog’s Voter Guide for the November election focuses on local elections and ballot measures.
LA Watchdog
Recall Kevin de Leon
LA WATCHDOG - Disgraced Councilman Kevin de Leon has indicated that he will not resign from the City Council despite multiple calls for his head because of his participation in a meeting where City Council President Nury Martinez made numerous racially charged and incendiary remarks.
Reform in LA Demands a No Vote on Tax Increases
LA WATCHDOG - Do you trust the City Council?
Vote NO on ULA, the $1 Billion Blank Check for the Homeless Industrial Complex
LA WATCHDOG - The people responsible for $600,000 units for permanent supportive housing have placed on the ballot Measure ULA that is designed to raise up to $1.1 billion a year to be used for affordable housing and tenant assistance programs.
LA’s Tribal Struggles Exposed
LA WATCHDOG - Underlying the recent article in the Los Angeles Times about an October 2021 meeting between Council President Nury Martinez, two other Latino members of the City Council, and the Latino president of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor that involved racially insensitive remarks are the efforts by the underrepresented Latino population wanting to get its fair share of the pie.
There Is No Such Thing as Free Lunch – Vote No on Measure ULA
LA WATCHDOG - Shall an ordinance funding and authorizing affordable housing programs and resources for tenants at risk of homelessness through a 4% tax on sales/transfers of real property exceeding $5 million, and 5.5% on properties of $10 million or more, with exceptions; until ended by voters; generating approximately $600 million - $1.1 billion annually; be adopted?
Vote No on Proposition SP, the $6.8 Billion Parcel Tax
LA WATCHDOG - Shall an ordinance providing funding for parks, recreational centers, pools, playgrounds, waterways, beaches, green spaces, open spaces, childcare, and other facilities, and increasing park equity in the City of Los Angeles,
Is Benedict Canyon the New Chinatown?
LA WATCHDOG - The opponents to the proposed development of the luxurious Bvlgari Hotel that is located in the environmentally sensitive hills of Benedict Canyon are mystified as to why the Planning Land Use Management (“PLUM”) Committee of the Los Angeles City Council has once again failed to act on a July 2021 motion that would stop this inappropriate development that is opposed by the surrounding neighborhood and numerous environmental groups.
Will Our Do Nothing City Council Create an Independent Redistricting Commission?
LA WATCHDOG - On December 8, 2021, Councilmembers Nithya Raman and Paul Krekorian submitted a motion (see below), seconded by City Council President Nury Martinez, instructing “the Chief Legislative Analyst ….
Will the Mobility Initiative Motivate the Do Nothing City Council
LA WATCHDOG - There is a saying in Los Angeles that nothing gets done at City Hall without a lawsuit or ballot measure.
Union Weaponized Initiatives Are Not Transparent
LA WATCHDOG - Unions and other special interests have collected enough signatures to qualify four initiatives for the ballot.
DWP Bills to Triple
LA WATCHDOG - In March, the “City Council instructed the Department of Water and Power to prepare a Strategic Long Term Resource Plan that achieves 100% carbon-free energy by 2035, in a way that is equitable and has minimal adverse impact on Ratepayers.”
Animal Services Needs Management, Oversight, and Cash
LA WATCHDOG - The Department of Animal Services and its shelter system is in “crisis” according to a recent editorial in the Los Angeles Times.
Corrupt LA City Council Approves SEIU-UHW Special Interest Initiative
LA WATCHDOG - On June 10, the City Clerk certified that there were sufficient signatures for the SEIU-UHW sponsored Initiative Petition entitled Minimum Wage for Healthcare Employees Working at Healthcare Facilities* to qualify for the ballot.
Carmel Partners Should be in the Penalty Box
LA WATCHDOG - Carmel Partners, a multibillion dollar San Francisco based private equity firm specializing in multifamily real estate, has proposed to develop a 28 story residential tower with 290 units at 1050 South La Cienega Boulevard, just south of Olympic Boulevard.
Hydee Feldstein Soto for City Attorney and Olympic Watchdog
LA WATCHDOG - In six years, the City of Los Angeles will be hosting the 2028 Summer Olympics.
LA’s Assessed Value Increased 7% to a Record $774 Billion
LA WATCHDOG - Los Angeles County Assessor Jeff Prang certified that the City’s Assessed Valuation as of January 1 of its more than 793,000 real estate parcels increased by $50.7 billion (7%) to a record $774 billion.
Is the Municipal Bank of Los Angeles Feasible?
LA WATCHDOG - On November 6, 2018, 56% of the City’s voters rejected Charter Amendment B that would have allowed the City to establish a municipal bank.
Pensions: Time to Face Reality
LA WATCHDOG - Councilman Paul Krekorian, the head of the Budget and Finance Committee, did not have a good week.
Incentive Payments to Venice & Hope Hotel Development Not in City’s Best Interests
LA WATCHDOG - Jade Enterprises is requesting incentive payments over the next 25 years of $63 million in connection with its development of a three star, 300 room hotel that will be located within a half mile of the Los Angeles Convention Center.
Just Say No to Recreation & Parks Parcel Tax
LA WATCHDOG - In a rush to the ballot that did not include adequate planning, the ethically challenged Los Angeles City Council has placed the Parks and Recreational Facilities Parcel Tax on the November ballot.